Since it is officially February and I decided to stop lurking and join the discussion, I figured I might as well start a new discussion!

I'm 30 and DH is 32. We officially started TTC last month. I was late with my period in Jan (and I'm never late), and the POAS test showed me a faint 2nd line which, according to google, was a positive! We were surprised to say the least, since DH travels for work and we didn't put that much effort into. Just as everything was sinking in and the shock was starting to clear I started bleeding. According to the Dr's office (or the nurse I talked to), I had a chemical pg. So, of course the past week and a half have been a mixture of lots of confusion and too much googling to try to figure out what's going, what happened and what to do next. I had blood work done, though they haven't given me any results. I can't tell if my body is behaving normally given the circumstances or if there is something else wrong so I find myself becoming ultra paranoid that maybe I'm ignoring something that I should be because I don't know what's going on and feel like I'm going to start driving myself crazy if I keep this up.

From what I've been reading, you ladies have been through a lot (collectively) so just wanted to come here for suggestions!

Yes, ANY line on a POAS test is a positive, but it's exactly what happened to me, a very early m/c that they call "chemical pregnancy." One faint line, then no faint line and AF arrived. So sorry to hear that, itsallnew.

The good news is that it doesn't correlate to future problems with pregnancy or indicate problems with fertility. Sometimes eggs that get fertilized are determined right away to be chromosomically unviable, and there was nothing you could have done to cause or stop it from happening. That's what I read in my Mayo Clinic's Pregnancy book after it happened to me, anyway.

The other thing is that since it was sooooo early, your body recovers immediately as if it were just a regular period. No waiting or tests or anything are necessary before you try again.

Happened to me, too, last month. I'm very sorry--you must be really disappointed. Kar's right, though--it doesn't mean anything whatsoever is wrong. I don't think there's anything you're ignoring or that this is a sign of any underlying problem. Sometimes it just happens. And, I know it's hard this soon to look at the bright side, but it means some things are right--you're obviously ovulating, and your husband's sperm is obviously capable of getting you pregnant. If it were me I'd hassle my doctor for results of the blood work--just because I like to have the information, not because it's likely to tell you anything much now. Good luck.

Thanks ladies! Thistle and Kar- you're right that the fact we did get pg at all, especially with little effort was very encouraging. And though I've read all kinds of things online, it is helpful to hear from those of you who had similar experiences that things are probably fine inside me and I shouldn't assume the worst without problematic signs.

This month we'll up the effort (which is never a bad thing) ;o) and cross our fingers for a positive.

Honest to goodness, some eggs are just bad and that's almost always what the problem is that early. And, women never used to know it happened so often because POAS tests weren't that sensitive. Women got what they thought was AF and never knew the difference. Now, we know it happens really often to just about everybody. Even still, lots of people don't know it has happened to them since they don't POAS early enough and they never even think about it since they get and stay pg at some point.

I'll stop the lurking too (kind of) I just finished my last pack of BC. We aren't actively TTC yet but I do want to start to track AF. Which brings me to my silly, newbie question: when do you start counting your cycle? Day one of AF or first day after AF?

We are going to use a backup method for the next few months until we start actively trying but I figure it's a good chance to see how my body reacts after being on BC for 10 years.

Welcome itsallnew, sorry about the M/C. I had a M/C at the end of December (I was 12 weeks, but fetal development apparently stopped at about 8.5 weeks, so I had to have a D&C and now need to wait until I've had two periods before trying again) But one thing I did find out is that 15-20% of pregnancies end in M/C. That number is from pregnancies that are known. In a lot of cases like yours, where the M/C happens so early, are missed, and therefore aren't counted in that number. So just remember that it is actually not that unusual, and might be considered pretty normal, and don't freak out too much about anything being seriously wrong.

Welcome also clc51510 - cycles start on day 1 of AF. And don't be surprised if it takes a few months for your cycle to settle down into a routine.

itsallnew - I might have missed it but have they checked your levels and done a comparison? I ask because literally 2 days after I found out I was pregnant I had bright red bleeding. I thought it was all over but my hcg continued to rise and well the result is now sleeping quietly in her crib. Just want to make sure you get the blood results and know for sure. If it is, in fact, a chemical pregnancy I definitely would be VERY optimistic since it happened on your first month trying. Many of us have never seen a positive pregnancy test (mine was with donor egg) on our own so I think you are off to a good start.

arg... I thought the 2ww was bad... currently working from home and waiting for my doctor's office to call back with the results from the labs I had drawn yesterday. I am very pessimistic about the results, as my bleeding is just now starting to decline after 4 days... but none the less I just want to know one way or the other.

Those of you who had early mc ... how long did it last? did it happen on its own? or did you require meds? I had what was most likely implantation bleeding at 4 weeks (lasted 3 days, was rather light), and now I've had 4 more days of moderate bleeding at 5.5 weeks.

Bostongrl, Sorry to hear about this. I hope you get good results when the dr calls you.

I had a chemical pg in October but in my case the bleeding only lasted less than 2 days which is weird b/c AF is usually 3-4. Then the following month I was back on my normal cycle. I did not have to take any meds.

LuckInLife- I got a call from the Dr. yesterday and they confirmed that my hcg levels are at 5 (I had blood work done 2 days after I started bleeding). So, that plus the positive test and that AF was like normal AF, slightly heavier and very crampy more or less confirms for me that it was an early m/c and I am hopeful for the next round.

Bostongrl- wishing you lots of luck re: blood work! fwiw, my bleeding was slightly heavier than AF and length was about the same. I would have been 5 weeks on the day bleeding started.

My doc called to say that my level was 240 ... which is definitely on the low side for 6weeks. But, he didn't want to make a final diagnosis until we do another set of labs tomorrow... so by Friday we'll know for sure based on whether the level goes up or down. He also said it was too early to do an U/S ... that the levels usually have to be around 2000 before they would see anything useful.

arg.. another 2 days for a real answer. I'm trying not to drive myself crazy by googling everything ... but I am just so distracted by this.

Bostongrl- I'm so sorry you're going thru this. I had a similar experience back in December and the waiting after each blood test is just awful. It sounds like some people have bleeding early on and the pg is just fine so this could still work out. My thoughts are with you-

itsallnew, sorry to have your early m/c confirmed, but, like I said, at least you know right out of the gate that you can get pg, and this early it doesn't do anything to you or mean anything (other than disappointment!).

Boston, sorry to hear you are 1/2 way to "safety" and going through this waiting and fear. GL!!!

ETA: By the way, just for common knowledge sake, implantation bleeding never happens as far out as 4 weeks after conception because it takes way less time than that for the fertilized egg to implant (the burrowing into the uterine lining is what causes the teeny tiny bit of pinkish/brown discharge). 7 - 12 days after ovulation. You get implantation bleeding almost always before you have enough hCG to register on a pg test.

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for the support. It is tough not having anyone to talk to since very few people in my "real life" know what is going on. DH has been really great... but having a community that you can turn to full of ladies who have gone through similar situations is just awesome.

Hopefully Friday brings good news... but I'm fully prepared for the worst. As was mentioned in a previous post, I definitely see the silver lining that we were at least able to conceive. After 4 months of trying... I was starting to wonder :o) My gut feeling is that this is a mc ... but hopefully we'll be back on the TTC bandwagon before Februrary is over.